A member of the House of Representatives’ progressive “Squad” is calling out his own party and President Biden over how Democrats have handled the worsening migrant crisis.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., called on Biden to show “leadership” in comments to reporters. He pointed out that the margins for Democrats to claw back the House are slim and warned that handling the influx of undocumented people in New York would likely be critical issue in the 2024 races.
“We need leadership from President Biden, period. We need that leadership right here in New York State, because you know, New York State is struggling,” Bowman said, according to a video captured by NY1. “We’re struggling to provide housing and all the support that the migrants need.”
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Republicans currently hold a 222-212 majority in the House, and there is one vacancy.
“Here’s the thing, Democrats are looking bad right now in New York State, and that’s unacceptable when we have to win at least four congressional seats to take back the House,” Bowman said. “So hopefully the president is listening.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for a response but did not immediately hear back.
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Illegal crossings at the southern border are down overall from when Title 42 was lifted in May. However, more than 93,000 migrants have arrived in New York City since last spring, straining city resources to a critical point, Mayor Eric Adams’ office said last week.
People have been sleeping on Manhattan sidewalks as locations that have been turned into migrant processing centers, like the Roosevelt Hotel, have quickly reached capacity.
Dozens of New York Democrats have pleaded with Biden to declare an emergency and authorize more federal funds to help deal with the crisis.
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“We need help, and it’s not going to get any better. From this moment on, it’s downhill. There is no more room,” Adams said last week.
Late last month, more than 50 New York Democrats urged Biden to direct federal aid to the city.
“Our City is experiencing an unprecedented migrant influx, with a surge of asylum seekers arriving here in numbers never seen before in history,” they wrote in a letter. “We take pride in New York being a beacon of hope for immigrants, but the influx of migrants is so great that the City is running out of resources.”